Project proposal for Wikimedia CH.

Infodata

Name of the project: Reinforcing Wikimedia CH Network by Building a Shared Ecosystem of Open Communities
Amount requested: 5'000 chf
Type of grantee: Individual / Organisation
Name of the contact: Iolanda Pensa
Contact: iolanda.pensa@supsi.ch

Reinforcing Wikimedia CH Network by Building a Shared Ecosystem of Open Communities

The problem and the context

What is the problem you're trying to solve?

In 2026, Wikipedia celebrates its 25th anniversary: an important milestone not only for the encyclopedia itself but also for the broader global open movement.

Wikipedia embodies the principles of openness: free knowledge, open infrastructure, free licenses, and collaborative governance. It operates as an Open Educational Resource (OER), collaborates with OpenGLAM institutions and open government initiatives, and contributes to scientific communication and open science through the use of open sources, open data, and shared digital infrastructures. The history and functioning of Wikipedia – with its open-editing model, transparent code, and community-based governance – are deeply rooted in a broader ecosystem of initiatives advocating for free access to knowledge, the right to reuse and modify it, and the protection of digital commons.

The open movement is highly fragmented. Despite these shared values and long-standing connections, the organisations and communities that constitute the open movement remain highly fragmented. Many groups operate in parallel without being aware of each other’s work, even within the same country. This fragmentation limits the potential impact of the movement. Institutions that share similar values often miss opportunities to strengthen their open practices through mutual learning. In many cases, organisations adopt openness only partially, and collaboration across sectors remains limited.

The Swiss context presents opportunities and specific challenges. Switzerland’s federal structure, its linguistic diversity, and the high level of autonomy of cantons and municipalities contribute to a fragmented landscape, where initiatives often develop in parallel with limited coordination. The country is also characterised by strong ties to neighbouring open ecosystems in Italy, France, and Germany and Austria, as well as by a peculiar role of private companies and entrepreneurship with cases of open initiatives which have evolved into proprietary models. These factors make Switzerland a particularly relevant context in which to foster cross-fertilisation between open communities and to strengthen collaboration across sectors and regions.

Wikimedia communities could benefit from stronger connections with like-minded institutions, researchers, activists, and networks working in the open ecosystem.

Wikimedia CH already collaborates with a range of partners and is part of significant national and international alliances, coalitions and networks. Its programmes actively engage with institutions and groups working in areas such as Open Educational Resources (OER), open data, openGLAM and open cultural data. This project builds on these existing collaborations by further strengthening the network and identifying new opportunities for cooperation across the open ecosystem.

The celebration of Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary in 2026 provide an ideal opportunity to strengthen these connections, promote dialogue across communities, and encourage a more coordinated and mutually reinforcing open ecosystem.

What is your solution to this problem (please explain the context and the solution)?

This project aims to reinforce the network between Wikimedia CH and the broader open movement by mapping, documenting, and engaging institutions, communities, and individuals working across different domains of openness.

The project focuses on building connections and encouraging cross-fertilisation between open communities by facilitating exchanges between institutions working in areas such as:

open content
free and open-source software
open licenses and copyright reform
open science
open education and OER
open geodata
open government and public data
open hardware and maker communities
OpenGLAM and cultural heritage
companies connected to the open movement (companies developing open source software, supporting services related to open data, open digital infrastructures...)

Through research, networking, and a selection of new interviews, the project creates a shared knowledge base about the open movement and build relationships that allow institutions to learn from one another and strengthen their open practices.

The project will also actively invite these communities to participate in itWikiCon 2026 in Ticino, where Wikimedia communities and other open initiatives will have the opportunity to meet and exchange experiences. These relationships will further support the next Wikipedia day and the current initiatives of Wikimedia CH.

Project goals

The project aims at strengthen connections and interoperability between Wikimedia CH and the broader open movement. More specifically the project:

map institutions, groups, and individuals working on open knowledge and open technologies in a structured database of open movement actors;
encourage cross-fertilisation between different domains of openness by supporting institutions in expanding their open practices (licenses, infrastructure, data, education, advocacy) and identifying opportunities for collaboration between open communities (i.e. itWikiCon 2026 in Ticino, shared event in 2027 and current initiatives of Wikimedia CH).

Project impact

Open Movement Matrix: Mutual strengthening within the open ecosystem

One of the key benefits of the project is that it supports institutions and communities of the open movement in becoming more open through collaboration and exchange. Many organisations focus primarily on a specific aspect of openness (such as open content, open software, open science, or open data), but they may not fully implement open principles across all their activities. By connecting institutions across domains, the project creates opportunities for mutual learning and cross-fertilisation, where organisations can strengthen their practices by learning from each other.

For example, institutions participating in the network may:

adopt fully open licenses such as CC BY, CC BY-SA, or CC0 for their content and data;
avoid restrictive licenses such as NC or ND when possible;
increase the use of free and open-source software;
develop and release Open Educational Resources (OER);
publish open data and geodata;
contribute to open infrastructures for research and public knowledge
collaborate in advocacy (i.e. participate in networks and consortium, producing joint declarations, support political and legal actions)

This exchange can significantly strengthen the open ecosystem by helping organisations expand their commitment to openness beyond their initial focus.

Increasing connections and interactions

What it does for	Wikimedia	Software	Licenses	OER	Geodata	Academia	Government	Hardware	OpenGLAM
Wikimedia	-	Better documentation/content/data on the Wikimedia projects, visibility of their policies / content / approaches	Disseminating the value of open licenses and tools (CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA and alike)	The Wikimedia projects as OER (free and accessible in over 300 languages)	Synergy with open geodata (links with Wikidata for taxonomies and other data))	Wikimedia as a research infrastructure	Visibility of content from public administrations and public institutions	Dissemination of information about open hardware	Visibility of content from GLAMs, collaboration with the open communities
Software	Use of free and open software in all activities (also by affiliates)	-	Use of open and free software
Licenses	Training, procedures, support to VRTS	Open licenses also on content	-	Use of open licenses and tools on content (avoiding NC and ND); use of CC0 for data				Open licenses also on content	Use of open licenses and tools on content (avoiding NC and ND); use of CC0 for data
OER	Synergy with open educational resources released under open licenses and tools	Training and resources made available in the frame of OER		-	Training and resources made available in the frame of OER
Geodata	Synergy with OpenStreetMap (issue related to the licenses)	Providing open geodata
Academia	Wikimedia and in particular Wikidata as research infrastructures	Development of free and open software within research projects and other services	Use of open licenses, in particular CC BY (avoiding NC and ND and use of CC0 for data)	Production of OER	Production of geodata	-	Support to public administrations (within research and services)	Development of open hardware	Research based on data from GLAMs (universities are also GLAMs :)
Government	Synergy with data and content from public administrations and public institutions released under open licenses and tools	Request to use free and open software among public administrations and institutions, support to the development of open and free software	Use of open licenses and tools (avoiding NC and ND); use of CC0 for data	Supporting training made available as OER	Providing open geodata from public administrations	Providing public data for research	-	Support to the development of open hardware	Support to open access among GLAMs
Hardware	Better documentation/content/data on the Wikimedia projects;	Use of open and free software	Use of open liceses	Providing training material as OER; producing training in the fields of robotics, digital fabrications and practical applications of coding	Using open geodata	Providing open hardware for research and services (also within academic fablab)	Supporting the open strategies of governments	-	Developing 3D reproductions, involving citizens in fablabs, use of open hardware to produce museum design and installations
OpenGLAM	Synergies with open communities, uploads on the Wikimedia projects	Use of open and free software	Use of open liceses - in particular CC0	Production of OER in their didactic programmes	Use of open geodata	Production of research	Production of open government data (as public institutions)	Use of open hardware for installation design and participatory projects	-

How will you know if you have met your goals?

Short-term impact (2026)

The project will:

establish contact with institutions, networks, and individuals within the open movement;
create a Wikidata database documenting organisations and actors;
conduct and publish interviews with a selection of key figures in the open movement to collect ideas and better understand the current scenarios;
open dialogue between Wikimedia communities and other open initiatives;
identify opportunities for collaboration between open communities (i.e. itWikiCon 2026 in Ticino, shared event in 2027 and current initiatives of Wikimedia CH)
reinforcing current networks related to the open movement;
identify potential partners, speakers and participants for itWikiCon 2026.

Mid-term impact (2027 and beyond)

The project will contribute to:

stronger cooperation between Wikimedia and other open communities;
new collaborations between institutions working on openness;
increased participation of open movement actors in Wikimedia events and activities;
the organisation of a shared open movement event in 2027 (i.e. Wikipedia day or other current Wikimedia CH initiatives);
possible publications or reports documenting the open movement.

Do you have any goals or metrics around participation or content?

Project plan

Activities


Goal	Activities	Output
Map institutions, groups, and individuals working on open knowledge and open technologies in a structured database of open movement actors	Research about the open movement in Switzerland	Bibliography about the open movement in Switzerland
		List of institutions, groups and events related to the open movement in Switzerland
		Database of institutions, groups and events on Wikidata (when possible)
		Contacts of people and institutions shared with Wikimedia CH on nextcloud with limited access for privacy
Encourage cross-fertilisation between different domains of openness by supporting institutions in expanding their open practices (licenses, infrastructure, data, education, advocacy)	Contact the institutions, groups and events	Status of the contacts shared with Wikimedia CH on nextcloud with limited access for privacy
	Interviews with key protagonists of the open movement in Switzerland	Recorded interview released under CC BY-SA 4.0
	Identify opportunities for collaboration between open communities	Open Movement Matrix: current synergies and envisioned opportunities
	Identify potential partners, speakers, and participants for itWikiCon 2026 in Ticino	List of contacts and shared discussion with the organisers of itWikiCon 2026 Ticino
	Lay the groundwork for a shared event in 2027 (i.e. the Wikipedia day) and for supporting current initiatives of Wikimedia CH	Matrix of synergies